We survived the stomach virus

Monday morning Addison woke up with the stomach virus. I know it has been going around like crazy, but I've been really careful to not take the girls out unless I HAD to. I don't know where she would have gotten the germs, but she did. She threw up 6 times. It was so sad...her eyes would water and she couldn't breathe...then when she would catch her breath she would whimper this little squeaky sound that just broke my heart. I actually cried too while she was throwing up! The worst of it only lasted about 3 1/2 hours, but we are still working on getting her appetite back to normal. She is still sleeping a lot too. But I feel more confident with sickness now because I know how to handle it. For some reason it seemed to help to just strip them down to nothing but their diaper!! It was pretty messy at first, but I got it all under control after a few barfs!! I ended up calling the nurse, just to make sure I was doing all the right things and she told me that Ashlyn and I would probably get it next. She said to give it 24 to 36 hours and if we didn't have it by then we were in the clear. Well, 24 hours went by and we felt fine......35 hours went by and we felt fine.....right on the dot--36 hours I heard Ashlyn in her crib gagging(it was about 11:00pm). I raced in there and she was sick!!!! So we had to do it all over again, but this time it was through the middle of the night rather than during the day. Ashlyn seemed to handle it much better than Addison. Addison made such a production out of throwing up...she even projectiled 2 feet!! Ashlyn was very dainty about it all. She would get very still and focus on what was happening. She never cried through it...she meant business!! When she finished, she went back to sleep! By 3am she seemed to be feeling better and hadn't gotten sick in 2 hours so I put her back in bed. This morning its almost like nothing ever happened!! Ashlyn is her same silly self again...without an appetite though. Now, if Ryan and I can make it through Friday afternoon we will be in the clear....I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!!
I made our couch into a make shift hospital bed. I covered it with a sheet since Addison kept spewing everywhere!



Ashlyn was so tired and weak, it was so sad....but sweet because she was a cuddle bug!




Even when she was feeling terrible, she still was curious about the camera!

one sick baby, one mobile baby

Poor Addi has another cold. For the last 3 months in a row, she has had to go on antibiotics because she gets sick--and typically passes it on to her sister. I have a feeling that within the next few days Ashlyn will start getting it too. Its so sad, Addison just sits around with her mouth wide open because she can't breathe through her nose. Now she is losing her voice and she sounds like a sick little pony! She hates suction and spraying, but I have to do it. The only thing she enjoys is Tylenol...because its cherry flavored! I think today she might look a little better, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Ashlyn is going to avoid the cold and Addison is on the mend! I was planning on getting their 8 month pictures taken this week but with Addi looking so sickly I decided to wait until next week(assuming Ash doesn't come down with it)!

Yesterday(March 9th), Ashlyn realized that she can crawl! Well, its a mixture of a crawl, an army crawl, an inch worm and a bear crawl! But, nevertheless she can get to where she wants and what she wants! So, I guess I officially have a mobile baby! Its kind of funny to watch her face when she gets determined to get to something. She focuses in on it and starts to slowly move forward, but she is still so unsteady on her hands that she wobbles and falls a lot. I feel a little sorry for her because she looks so pitiful and helpless, but she is getting stronger each time she tries it again.

I never quite learned how to post a video that doesn't have messed up sound(this is in reference to my last post). I'm just going to forget about it and never post another video because I just can't get one to work?!?

Here are some pictures of this past week:
Ashlyn loves to climb on top of Addison. She has done this since the day they were born, hence the reason we have to sleep them in seperate cribs! Addison is not much of a cuddler but Ashlyn loves to snuggle up to anything or anyone that is willing.



This is Addison throwing one of her loud(and I mean LOUD) fits. These fits turn her entire body beat red and make all the veins in her bald skull pop out!! Ashlyn is looking on like, "whats wrong with you?!?"



Addison singing into the microphone. I think Ashlyn quickly went over and stole it out of her hands and another fit was had!



This was taken several days before Ashlyn actually could move from this position. For 2 weeks she would get into position and then just rock back and forth.....but now she can actually move!!!!

Ashlyn's first word(kind of)

Late last night, Ashlyn discover the "d" sound. She now is constantly saying "dadaa dadaa dadaa dadaa". I know she isn't relating it to Ryan yet, but I think its the first step to talking!! I'm so excited! Here is a video of it! As of now, she only does it when she is about to start crying. Its nice though that she is saying it because when she is upset I can say "hey daddy, she wants YOU"!!!! LOL! I've never posted a video before so hopefully its as easy as it looks....

The return of Bucky

When my brother was little, he had this horse that he called Bucky. He rode that thing day and night...he loved it!! My mom and I were at the Fort Worth Just Between Friends sale yesterday and we saw these 2 girl Bucky's!! I know its a little too soon for them to ride safely, but we got them anyway!! I put them on the horses for a short minute today to take some pictures. The pictures turned out ok, but it was chaotic for a short minute during our photo shoot! First, Addison(with her big, bald melon head) fell off Bucky and onto the carpet. I know it didn't hurt her, but I'm sure it startled her. She began crying very dramatically as she always does and I made her feel better. But I didn't get the picture I was hoping for, so I had to dust her off and put her back on the horse!!! Well, that time I evidently had Bucky a little too close to the wall because when she fell off THAT time she bumped her head. It made a hollow "thud" and once again she started crying. I figured that one hurt a little more, but it wasn't serious in the least bit! I distracted her attention and she forgot all about it! But, that time I got the shot!!! All of Addi's falls today made me know for certain that it IS too early to put a baby on a horse!!! We will store the Bucky's safely in a closet until a later date!
It was fun at first



Hold on Addison!! This is after the first fall, right before the second fall!! For some reason she didn't want to touch the handle--and thats why she fell off!



Little Ash can ride like a pro!!

Las Vegas trip

We just returned home from our trip to Las Vegas. It was SO nice to get away and go to bed early(yes I was in bed by 11pm every night--in Vegas)!! I figured it was my time to catch up on sleep! We shopped at 2 different malls, ate at Pinks Hot Dogs, had frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity, and ate at Mesa Grill(Bobby Flay's restaurant. We did a lot of eating....A LOT!! I guess my favorite part of the trip was shopping at H & M and going to this specialty swim shop that personally selects swim suits based on your body type. I have known that since having twins that my bikini days are pretty much over. I've looked at several tankinis, but the small section on a tankini that shows your skin is my WORST area because I have stretch marks and saggy skin there. So after talking with the ladies and trying on about 20 different suits, I bought 2! I am very excited and I feel good in them, which is a BIGGY!! I ended up getting 2 one pieces--I never thought I would buy a one piece! But these are very stylish ones that are like a "mock" tankini, so it shows no skin!! I love them! We found 2 really cool stores in one of the malls. 1 was an art store called, Oh My Godard...they had some really neat things. The other was in the Caesars's Forum Shops and I don't remember the name of the place but they had some really cool furniture and lighting pieces. We decided that when we build our next house we would go back to Vegas and pick out some things from those stores.

I gambled a little bit...Ryan gambled a lot. He stayed up late every night playing either poker or blackjack. I only lost $100 for the entire trip--but I spent most of my "gambling" money on shopping! Ryan on the other hand lost a whopping $1,500--which is a sore subject with me!! A sore subject NOT because he lost the money, but because while he was out until 4:30am gambling he got approached by 2 prostitutes that wanted to go to the room with him!! He conveniently forgot to tell me until we were home and I couldn't hunt those hookers down!!

We were SO happy to get back home to the girls. When we walked through the door, they were both playing with toys and they just stopped dead in their tracks and starred at us. They didn't show any emotion, they just looked at us with their mouths hanging open. Its like we were never gone--which was nice!

Here are a few pics of the trip...
This is going to be our new company picture. It will go on the website and in the "ring earners" book that they hand out every 2 years. I like this picture much better than our old one--in the old one I looked asain!?!



Ok, this picture has a story with it. The story begins with a margarita at Mesa Grill! This is a chair that was custom made for Ozzy Osbourne. I just thought it was neat and I wanted my picture taken in it. I don't know what I was doing with my hands(due to the potent margarita) but I think I was trying to look prim and proper???



This is what was left of my "Miss America" dog at Pinks. It was a foot long chili dog smothered in nacho cheese!!!



This is my 32oz. frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity. OMG, it was so good and so sickening at the same time!!! And NO, I couldn't finish it!

Two Little Tripods

I have spent most of this evening working with the girls on sitting up without support. They have been very close and tonight they both sat for several seconds without me having to hold them. Ashlyn would crash down and laugh, Addison would crash down and start screaming. I sometimes worry that she is going to be one of those kids that you could look at the wrong way and they start crying....she is very over dramatic! At the same time, she is a goof ball and she likes to show off! She has many tricks and she likes to show my mom what she can do whenever she comes over. For some reason, Addison has taken a liking to my mom over anyone else--including me and Ryan. Although, Ryan is a close second and I guess that makes me 3rd??

My little girl(Ashlyn) is so wild and crazy that we have given her a new name...Thrashin Ashlyn! Sometimes we call her Thrasher for short!! She is just a little ball of fire! She still won't sleep through the night(I think because she wants to know what we are doing--but doesn't realize we are sleeping). I get so angry every time I hear her crying through the monitor at 1, 2, 3 or 4am, however, the next morning I go into her room to get her up and she is in there playing with her stuffed animals and greets me with this big goofy smile and somehow I completely forget how frustrated she made me during the night. My parents call her the crazy Guggenheim, because she is just so silly.

I think the reason I am in such a "lovey" mood is because I realized today that I am about to leave them for 4 days....it is sinking in how much I am going to miss them. We went to Horseshoe Bay when the girls were about 8 or 9 weeks old, but its different now. Back then they just sat around. Yes, I missed them terribly but its just different. Now, they know me and they interact with me and I am going to miss 4 days of their lives and that breaks my heart. WHAT IF THEY SIT UP FOR A LONG TIME BY THEMSELVES FOR THE FIRST TIME?!?

I had to go to get my annual "girly" exam today and just seeing all the pregnant women there made me realize how lucky I am to have 2 babies--although I chuckled several times at the women as they waddled past me and I thought to myself, "GOSH, I'm glad I'm not pregnant anymore!" Although, it also made me realize the I might--MIGHT--want to have more kids. If it was a guarantee that I would have a boy or twin boys I would totally do it again. Ryan says we are finished with kids and I might agree....we have to see. BUT...if we DO have more kids I want it to be sooner rather than later because I want to get it over with. So I'm talking within a year and a half, trying to get pregnant...IF we decide to. And that's a BIG...HUGE...MONSTER if!!

While we are talking about pregnancy and getting fat, I forgot to mention that I am within 3 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight!!! I finally broke down and went to Jenny Craig again. I know I could do the same thing with Lean Cuisines and other frozen meals, but theres something about JC that makes me stick to it and get serious! I need to get to 119 to be at my goal. But with my extra saggy baggy elephant skin, I think I will need to be at about 112-115 to look like I looked before I got pregnant. But don't get me wrong, I would accept 119 and tuck the extra skin down into my pants and hide it....so 115 would be so much better!! Hmmmm, well now I am extending my goal to losing 6 more pounds so I don't have to tuck! OH, and did I mention that I'm not nursing anymore? I stopped the week between Christmas and New Years. It feels wonderful not to be Elsie the cow anymore--and I'm back to my original small cup size too which I like much better!!

Ok, here are the pics of the girls from tonight...

Ashlyn, working hard to stay up!
Wobbling, wobbling....
HERE COMES THE CRASH!!
KABOOM!!
"ITS OK MOM, I CAN GET UP!!"
"I will just stay here on my tummy, Mommy"!!





Addison, the best sitter in the world!!
Shes still holding it....
Still going strong....
AND CRASH!! Look at that lip! This was right before she started crying...this was the "OMG, what just happend look" that she always gets before the screaming begins!!

And the award for the worst blogger of the year goes to....

ME! I admit, I have really fallen off the wagon when it comes to keeping up with my blogging. The girls have become quite the handful over the last month. At the same time, it is becoming so much more fun! Today is their 7 month birthday! We are still a little behind on some developmental things, but for the most part we are on the right track! They are both VERY close to sitting up by themselves. Right now they just need a little hip stabilization, but otherwise they are doing it themselves. Addison has learned how to clap her hands, when I say "clap clap clap"! Its really cute! She also knows her name now and looks at me whenever I call her. Ashlyn....well, she's learning, but she is just always so busy that she doesn't pay attention long enough to learn things! So when I say THEY have become quite a handful, I really mean ASHLYN has become quite the handful!!! They also are both rolling from back/tummy and tummy/back now on a regular basis!

I never wrote in and updated for our 6 month checkup. Honestly, I don't remember their exact weight. I think Addison was 14.4 and Ashlyn was 12.7. Addison was in the 13-15% and Ashlyn is still in the 5%. I think she is just going to be a tiny little thing!!! We eat mostly stage 2 and some stage 3 foods. They love their fruit in the mornings and their meat and veggies at night. And they LOVE LOVE LOVE eating grown up people food....like chocolate, philly cheesesteak, ice cream, chips, bread, cheese, diet coke and beef stew!!

Ryan's company put on a contest that the winner would get a trip to Las Vegas, and we qualified for the trip. So we leave Feb 15th-18th. I don't know what I am going to do when I leave the girls for 4 days. I know they will be in good hands with my parents though. Its just that I am going to miss them so much! At the same time, I'm looking very forward to the trip and shopping and gambling!! It will be nice to get away and spend time with Ryan without having to worry about what time we get home for bedtime! I guess my next post will be about our trip!


Here are some pictures that I've taken over the last month...Hey sister, I've got your ear!


Watching our favorite TV show, Yo Gabba Gabba


Can you tell which one is the little angel and which one is the little monster?!?


Ashlyn driving her little pink car! Their new favorite activity is jumping in their car and in their jumper!


Ashlyn fell asleep in her play tray..........and then she woke up with a red forehead!! She was pretty angry about it!



This is how Ashlyn likes to shop.....with her bow over her eyes! People always stop us and tell me that her bow is over her eyes and they want me to fix it, but thats really how she likes it! She pulls it down and goes to sleep! Addison is always Miss Pleasant, she is just along for the ride no matter where we go!!


Claire has learned to love the babies! She enjoys trying to get them to play with her. She will go up to them and drop a toy on their face! They enjoy her too....they laugh at her when she walks through the room or barks! I think they will be best friends! In this picture, Addison was making her high pitched bird calls on the floor and Claire got worked up about it and started to try to get them to play!